Switch unit for controlling operation of parts of or accessories for sewing machines

ABSTRACT

Switch mechanism for attachment as a unit to a sewing machine in a region adjacent the stitch forming zone, said switch having an operating arm or lever extending forwardly and downwardly to a point closely adjacent to one of the hands of the operator as the latter is assisting in the proper advance of the work through the stitching zone. Said switch mechanism is adapted to control the operation of electromagnetic means for operating said part or parts of the sewing machine, such as the feed mechanism thereof, such control being adapted to reverse the direction of feed of the feed mechanism to produce locking of one or both of the ends of a line of stitching being formed. It is also adapted for use in operating other devices provided as a part of or an accessory for sewing machines, such as thread, thread chain, and tape cutting devices.

0 United States Patent 1151 3,661,105 Rohr 51 May 9, 1972 [541 SWITCH UNIT FOR CONTROLLING 2,508,236 5/1950 Enos .11 12/252 OPERATION OF PARTS ()F ()R 2,490,936 12/1949 Vossen ACCESSORIES FOR SEWING 2,746,588 5/1956 Bryson ..1 12/219 R X MACHINES FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [72] In entor: G nt Rohr, Stuttgart, Germany 1,478,672 3/1967 France ..112/218 R [73] Assigneez Union Special Maschineniabrik GJH-b-Hq 899,031 6/1962 Great Britain ..112/219 R Sumgan' wuttemberg Germany Primary Examiner-H. Hampton Hunter [22] Filed: Jan. 8, 1968 Atmr11e \'John Howson [21] App1.No.: 696,393 [57] ABSTRACT Switch mechanism for attachment as a unit to a sewing [3O] Fol-Hg" Apphcanon Pnomy Dam machine in a region adjacent the stitch forming zone, said y 0 1967 Germany 16 85 switch having an operating arm or lever extending forwardly and downwardly to a point closely adjacent to one of the 52 Us. 131. ..112 210, 1 12 219 R hands Q P is assisting in [51] LG 27/00,D05b 69/00 vance of the work through the stitching zone. Said switch [58] Field of Search I 12019 R 219 A 218 R 252 mechanism is adapted to control the operation of electromag- 1l2/l30 netic means for operating said part or parts of the sewing machine, such as the feed mechanism thereof, such control 56 R f C d being adapted to reverse the direction of feed of the feed l e erences l e mechanism to produce locking of one or both of the ends of 21 TED STATES PATENTS line of stitching being formed. It is also adapted for use in operating other devices provided as a part of or an accessory 3,336,813 I 8/1967 Mar orie ..112/197 for Sewing machines, Such as thread, thread chain and tape 2,921,546 1/1960 Vossen ..112/219 R cutting devices 2,005,656 6/1935 Lasztoczy.. 12/210 3,170,349 2/1965 Weinkle ..1 12/130 X 11 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures SWITCH UNIT FOR CONTROLLING OPERATION OF PARTS OF OR ACCESSORIES FOR SEWING MACHINES This invention relates to a switch unit adapted for ready application to a sewing machine for controlling the operation of certain parts of said machine or accessories for said machine. Such parts of or accessories for the sewing machine, which are operated under the control of the switch unit, may be means for cutting threads or thread chains, or ribbons being attached to a work piece or a plurality of work pieces by said threads or thread chains. The switch unit is also particularly desirable for use in bringing about a reverse feed action of the work feeding mechanism of the machine, as is frequently desired to provide a good stitch locking action at one or both ends of a seam.

While various mechanisms have heretofore been provided for controlling the operation of certain parts or accessories of a sewing machine, these have usually been subject to operation either by a foot treadle or a knee press. They have all been subject to various objections due to the difficulty in operating them while the operator of the machine is concentrating upon the problem of proper handling of the work being stitched. These prior devices have required extreme concentration on the part of the operator of the machine, and they have made it substantially impossible for the operator to perform the two different functions while the sewing machine continues to operate at its usual high speed.

The present invention provides a switch device adapted to be connected with electromagnetic means for controlling the operation of parts which are incorporated in or applied as accessories to sewing machines. It has been an important object of the invention to provide such a device which is easy to operate, and thus facilitates a control over the parts or accessories of the machine, with a minimum physical effort and without requiring concentration on the performance by the operator of two different functions at the same time.

An important feature of the invention is the provision of a unit of the character above-mentioned which is located above and close to the stitch forming zone and is adapted for ready adjustment into a position best suited for a particular operation. In the course of applying seams to particular work pieces, the switch, which is adjustably located in the region mentioned, is provided with a lever for operating the same, this lever extending into the area in which it can be most readily engaged by the hand or finger of the operator to bring about the desired action.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the switch referred to is a microswitch located within a housing which is connected to a supporting rod. This rod is adapted for attachment to the presser bar bushing of the machine, and it is rotatable around said bushing so as to extend outwardly in a radial direction therefrom in any selected position.

To enable adjustment of the location of the switch operating lever, into the most convenient position for manual operation under particular circumstances, the housing for the switch is provided with spherical surfaces which are adapted to cooperate with a ball shaped or substantially spherical head provided at the end of the supporting rod. This enables the adjustment of the parts in relation to each other into the most suitable position and then the clamping of the switch housing in such position. Such clamping is achieved by urging together spherical cavities on the housing until they are brought firmly against the ball head of the rod by the tightening of a screw or bolt.

A special feature of the switch unit is that the actuating lever, which is adapted to be operated by the hand or finger or possibly the arm of the operator, is provided with a plate element at its upper end within the housing, and it projects downwardly from said plate through an opening in the housing. A push-button is provided within the housing for the actuation of a microswitch therein. Such actuation is brought about by a tilting movement of the plate mentioned, and such tilting movement may be created by the swinging of the lever in any direction. The plate mentioned is normally retained in a flat position against the wall of the housing by means of a flat spring element, which may suitably be disposed between the plate and the push-button for the switch. Suitable openings are provided in the wall of the housing for readily receiving and retaining the nonactive portion of the flat spring.

With the foregoing objects, features and advantages of the invention in mind, a preferred embodiment of the same will now be described in more detail by reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a sewing machine with the switch unit attached thereto;

FIG. 2 is an interior face view of one element of the housing of the unit, showing parts located within the housing and the downwardly projecting operating lever for the switch;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the housing unit and a part of the rod to which it is attached, this view being taken from the left in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a top view of a portion of the switch unit and shows the rod for carrying the same and the means for attaching said rod to the presser bar bushing of the sewing machine.

Referring now to the drawings, the invention has been illustrated in connection with its use for controlling the reversal of feed of the feed mechanism of the sewing machine, as has been explained above. The sewing machine I may suitably be of the character disclosed in the U. S. Pat. to Daniel No. 3,033,141, granted May 8, 1962. It will be understood that it embodies stitch forming and work feeding mechanism of the character provided in the machine disclosed in said patent. The machine is provided with a control shaft 2 extending outwardly through the front wall of the machine frame and carrying thereon a rotatable member 3 adapted to be turned through a suitable angle by a rotary solenoid or an electromagnet and associated armature which are operated upon the closing of the microswitch that has been mentioned above. The extent to which the element 3 is rotated, and also its normal position, may be adjusted by a screw element 3a which thus determines the desired stitch length in the normal operation of the machine. A pointer 3b carried by member 3 is shifted, upon adjustment of the screw member 3a, and cooperates with the fixed scale shown to thus indicate the selected stitch length. When the electromagnet or solenoid is operated, under control of the switch unit to be more fully described hereinafter, a reversal in the direction of feed of the work may be brought about by operating connections of the character disclosed in said Daniel patent.

The switch unit of the present invention comprises a microswitch 5 (FIG. 2) mounted within a housing having two sections 6. An inside face view of one of these sections is shown in FIG. 2. The other section is substantially identical with the section there shown, but the tapered portion provided toward the right end in FIG. 2 is a mirror-like image of that shown in FIG. 2, as is indicated in FIG. 4. These two sections of the housing are secured together by means of bolts 7 (FIG. 4) which are passed through openings 8 provided in each of the sections 6 such openings in the two sections being in alignment with each other. These openings also pass through the supporting structure of the microswitch 5, thus serving to retain the latter in the desired position within the housing. A push-button 9 is provided for operating the microswitch upon the movement of a lever 11 in the manner to be explained. This lever has a plate 12 secured to its upper end, this plate being adapted to be rocked from the full line position shown in FIG. 2 into the broken line position shown therein, upon the shifting of the lever 11 into the broken line position shown. It is believed to be clear that a corresponding rocking of the plate 12 in a variety of other directions may be brought about by the swinging of the lever 11 in any direction from its normal position shown. A flat spring 13 cooperates with the upper surface of the plate 12 and normally retains the latter in the full line position shown. This spring has several bends in it which are passed through openings 14 and 15 in the lower wall of the housing members 6 to retain said spring in the position shown in FIG. 2, with the portion that cooperates with the plate 12 serving to urge the latter into the full line position shown. As will be seen from FlG. 2, the housing section 6 is provided with similar openings 14 and 15 in its upper surface, and also both the upper and lower surfaces of the housing are provided with openings 16 for the passage therethrough of the lever 11. This arrangement facilitates the use of the housing either in the position shown in FIG. 2 or in an inverted position, whenever desired.

The housing 6 is adapted to be mounted on a presser bar bushing 17 (FIG. 4) through connections including a clamp 18. This clamp may be tightened to retain the same in any desired position around the bushing 17 by the tightening of nuts 21 on the threaded end of a connecting rod 19. The threaded end of this rod is of sufficient length to enable longitudinal adjustment of the rod in relation to the clamp 18. To effect this the nuts 21 will, of course, be turned to the extent necessary for such adjustment and they will then be tightened against the free ends of the clamp to bring about the clamping action in the adjusted position of the rod. At its right end (FIG. 4) the rod 19 has a ball head 22 which is adapted to cooperate with the inner surfaces of partial ball cups 23 carried by the housing members 6. The ball cups 23 are formed in such a manner that the rod 19 may extend therefrom on either side of the housing members 6. This enables the housing 6 and its lever 11 to be located in either the full-line position or the dotted-line position shown in FIG. 1. Of course, as has been explained above, the rod 19 may be adjusted to any desired angular position in relation to the presser bar bushing 17. Also the housing members 6 may be tilted upwardly or downwardly from the horizontal position and may be swung clockwise or counterclockwise to a certain extent from the position shown in FIG. 4, to bring about the most desirable location of the lever 11 for operation by a finger or the like of the operator. After appropriate adjustment of the housing member 6 in the various directions indicated, it may be firmly retained in the set position by tightening of the nut 24 on a bolt 24a which passes through openings 24b provided in the two members 6.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the position of the housing 6 and the downwardly extending lever 11 may be adjusted to substantially any desired position, and these parts may be retained in such position by tightening of the nuts and bolts specified.

Also it will be apparent that the lever 11 may be shifted, by the finger or the like of the operator, in any direction to bring about a rocking of the head 12 in a way to cause the spring 13 to operate the push-button 9 and thus operate the microswitch 5. The operation of the push-button 9 may also be brought about by a slight lifting of the lever 11 and the plate 12. Of course. the adjustment of the housing members 6 into a desired tilted position should not be to such an extent that the weight of the lever 11 will cause it to swing from the full line position shown in FIG. 2. However, the force of the spring 13 may be adequate to retain the lever 11 in a tilted position, at quite an angle to the vertical, with the bottom of plate 12 held firmly against the wall of housing members 6 and with the push-button 9 not being actuated.

If desired, the plate 12 may have its bottom surface of spherical form, instead of being flat, while its top surface is flat. In this event, the rocking of lever 11 will cause the bottom surface of plate 12 to rock on the cooperating surface of the housing members 6, or to slide on a spherical indentation provided in such housing wall, while the top surface of the plate will still be tilted to engage and operate the push-button 9.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in detail and certain variations have been suggested, it will be understood that other changes may be made within the scope of the accompanying claims and with the achievement of the desired end result of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for controlling the operation of parts of a sewing machine which comprises an electrical switch, an actuating member for operating said switch extending therefrom and an assembly for mounting and locating the switch and actuating member above the stitch forming zone of the sewin machine in any one of a number of different positions selecte according to the needs of the sewing machine operator and in which the actuating member extends toward the operator of the machine and is readily operable by one of the operator's hands in the course of controlling the movement of work in the stitch forming zone of the machine.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which there is a housing in which said switch and said actuating member are mounted and the member comprises an arm tiltably mounted in the housing to operate the switch when moved in any one of a variety of different directions.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 including spring means for normally retaining said arm in a predetermined position.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which said assembly includes a housing in which said switch and actuating member are mounted and a rod about which said housing is mounted for retention in any one of a variety of different angular positions.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 in which said assembly includes a presser bar bushing, a member clamped to said bushing, the rod being secured to said member clamped to said bushing and extending laterally from said bushing, and means for securing said housing to the outer end of said rod.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 in which said rod is movable within said member clamped to said bushing to vary the effective length of said rod.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 in which there are means for adjusting the angular position of said member clamped to said bushing with respect to said bushing.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 in which said means for securing said housing to the outer end of said rod comprises mating spherical elements carried by said rod and said housing enabling relative angular adjustment of said rod and housing in all directions.

9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 in which said arm has a plate-like member at its upper end, said spring being of flat faced type and arranged to engage said plate-like member over a substantial area.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 in which said switch has a push-button which is so arranged as to be engaged and operated by said spring when said arm of said actuating member is swung out of its normal position.

11. In a sewing machine having apparatus for reversing the direction of feed of the work through the machine, an electrical switch for controlling the operation of the feed reversal apparatus, a housing containing the switch, an arm for operating the switch tiltably mounted in said housing to operate said switch when moved in any one of a variety of different directions, said arm extending from the housing and an assembly for locating the housing above the stitch forming zone of the sewing machine in any one of a number of different positions selected according to the needs of the sewing machine operator and in which the arm extends toward the operator and is readily operable by one of the operators hands in the course of controlling the movement of work through the stitch forming zone of the sewing machine. 

1. Apparatus for controlling the operation of parts of a sewing machine which comprises an electrical switch, an actuating member for operating said switch extending therefrom and an assembly for mounting and locating the switch and actuating member above the stitch forming zone of the sewing machine in any one of a number of different positions selected according to the needs of the sewing machine operator and in which the actuating member extends toward the operator of the machine and is readily operable by one of the operator''s hands in the course of controlling the movement of work in the stitch forming zone of the machine.
 2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which there is a housing in which said switch and said actuating member are mounted and the member comprises an arm tiltably mounted in the housing to operate the switch when moved in any one of a variety of different directions.
 3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 including spring means for normally retaining said arm in a predetermined position.
 4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which said assembly includes a housing in which said switch and actuating member are mounted and a rod about which said housing is mounted for retention in any one of a variety of different angular positions.
 5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 in which said assembly includes a presser bar bushing, a member clamped to said bushing, the rod being secured to said member clamped to said bushing and extending laterally from said bushing, and means for securing said housing to the outer end of said rod.
 6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 in which said rod is movable within said member clamped to said bushing to vary the effective length of said rod.
 7. Apparatus as set forth in claiM 5 in which there are means for adjusting the angular position of said member clamped to said bushing with respect to said bushing.
 8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 in which said means for securing said housing to the outer end of said rod comprises mating spherical elements carried by said rod and said housing enabling relative angular adjustment of said rod and housing in all directions.
 9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 in which said arm has a plate-like member at its upper end, said spring being of flat faced type and arranged to engage said plate-like member over a substantial area.
 10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 in which said switch has a push-button which is so arranged as to be engaged and operated by said spring when said arm of said actuating member is swung out of its normal position.
 11. In a sewing machine having apparatus for reversing the direction of feed of the work through the machine, an electrical switch for controlling the operation of the feed reversal apparatus, a housing containing the switch, an arm for operating the switch tiltably mounted in said housing to operate said switch when moved in any one of a variety of different directions, said arm extending from the housing and an assembly for locating the housing above the stitch forming zone of the sewing machine in any one of a number of different positions selected according to the needs of the sewing machine operator and in which the arm extends toward the operator and is readily operable by one of the operator''s hands in the course of controlling the movement of work through the stitch forming zone of the sewing machine. 